There was a popular psych book in Christian circles back in the nineties called "The Five Love Languages". The gist of the book is that there are five basic ways that people can show affection for each other: gifts, quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service, and physical touch. Different people express love for each other in one or more of those five ways, and if you're geared towards one type of gesture of affection, you might not pick up on another type as readily.

I suppose if I were a better writer, I might have gone through and given each of my characters a Love Language, in much the same way that I might have given them each a Myers-Briggs type or a D&D alignment. I have elected not to do that, or at least not in any official written way. I do think it's obvious, though, that Ellen values things differently than Nicole does.

NP: Ellen... you know the purpose of me teaching you to knit was not to torture you, right?
EB: I know. I just wanted to make it clear that I had given it a fair shot, and I still didn't enjoy myself. Some people don't like some things, and that's okay.
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NP: I'm sorry.
EB: Don't be. You do like knitting, that's important to you, and I'm not trying to take that away from you. I cherish our friendship. I just don't cherish spending hours painstakingly assembling garments out of string, because that is what Indonesian eight-year-olds are for.
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EB: To me, the value of an object - particularly a scarf - is tied to its quality and utility, not its origin. I recognize that you value such things differently. I respect that difference and I value you.
NP: Is there any particular reason you're talking like a therapist right now?
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EB: I may be pre-emptively getting into character for the Florenovia game.
NP: If I find a hacked-together sex android in the closet I'm going to be seriously skeeved out.